Like
Musashi, students of Ni Ten Ryu find themselves studying the
ways of many other "schools" (or styles). Musashi writes of
the problems he saw within many of the other schools, yet he maintained
that without this knowledge one could not fully understand his Heiho
or way.

Musashi,
like his contemporaries, was heavily influenced by Zen
philosophy. This philosophy or "way of looking at life", holds
that a teacher cannot teach understanding. A teacher can merely lead
the student to their own enlightenment. This approach runs through Go
Rin No Sho, Musashi repeatedly writes of things as "self evident",
or states that a sudent must learn certain things for themselves.

An
understanding of other schools or styles helps one not only in combat
against someone using such a style, but also to more objectively review
ones own way, perhaps even adopting a better technique.